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I got a scholarship based on my ACT score (actually based on my second score). I get $2000 a year as long as I keep my GPA in good standing.

(I could have gotten a $5000 a year if I had chosen to live on campus, but it's considerably cheaper to live at home!)

More advice, if you live in the states definitely stay in-state for your first few years. Out-of-state tuition is ridiculous!

Another benefit of small or community colleges is a smaller class sizes. It's great because you can get to know your professors better (which if you ever need a recommendation from them, this is a great way to get a good one).

At the very least you can go to a small school to start and then transfer to a big one if you're real picky about the college name on your diploma.

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Moving in this Friday and starting classes next Wednesday. I'm only doing 14 hours of class at the moment because I don't want to be overwhelmed when I first start. My friend Kelci, however, is doing 16 hours of classes and 18 hours of work. She will have NO free time whatsoever. :/ And she's really bad with procrastinating, AND she gets stressed and angry very easily. I have a feeling that she'll be dropping a couple of classes.

My major is going to be in Biology, with a focus on Zoology. I'm going for a BS, but at my university they also offer a BA for Biology.

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Do whatever you feel is comfortable. If you are worried about not graduating at a certain date than take summer classes.

If you think you can handle the 18 credit hours like some people do, then by all means go for it. But if you are a first year student it's probably the best to take the minimum credits to be a full time student and be eligible for financial aid.

It's far better to have to go a little bit longer from taking less classes and do your absolute best then to bundle up so many classes that you can't handle it and don't do so well with grades.

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I'm taking 14 credits simply because my math class is five credits, although I'm only taking four classes. One of which I don't know if it requires studying... As far as I know, Ceramics isn't going to cover much on the subject of histories and all that, since there are other art classes solely for that purpose.

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I'm taking 14 credits simply because my math class is five credits, although I'm only taking four classes. One of which I don't know if it requires studying... As far as I know, Ceramics isn't going to cover much on the subject of histories and all that, since there are other art classes solely for that purpose.

So... homework in Ceramics? Not much, methinks. x3

You don't think you'll need to learn about running kilns, cones, clay types, oxidating and reducing atmospheres and how they affect glaze, greenware, stoneware, earthenware, etc.? There probably won't be much homework, but it's college level ceramics. There will be a textbook you'll be expected to read.

Edited August 17, 2011 by Princess Artemis

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You don't think you'll need to learn about running kilns, cones, clay types, oxidating and reducing atmospheres and how they affect glaze, greenware, stoneware, earthenware, etc.? There probably won't be much homework, but it's college level ceramics. There will be a textbook you'll be expected to read.

This makes me wish I'd gotten into that metalworking class in high school.

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You don't think you'll need to learn about running kilns, cones, clay types, oxidating and reducing atmospheres and how they affect glaze, greenware, stoneware, earthenware, etc.? There probably won't be much homework, but it's college level ceramics. There will be a textbook you'll be expected to read.

Oh of course I expect to learn more about that. It'll expand on my knowledge from high school. But I meant, in comparison to my mathmatics, english, and Animal behaviors class, I would expect the outside of class work to be relatively low to none.

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Oh of course I expect to learn more about that. It'll expand on my knowledge from high school. But I meant, in comparison to my mathmatics, english, and Animal behaviors class, I would expect the outside of class work to be relatively low to none.

Don't be too surprised if you end up in the ceramics classroom more than you expected finishing up things that can't be done anywhere else. My experience with art classes is that they required a lot of outside of class work. I spent more than a few days wishing I could have slept overnight in the art building to get everything done.

YMMV, of course.

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Don't be too surprised if you end up in the ceramics classroom more than you expected finishing up things that can't be done anywhere else. My experience with art classes is that they required a lot of outside of class work. I spent more than a few days wishing I could have slept overnight in the art building to get everything done.

YMMV, of course.

I've done that before. I worked every off period I had in high school on all of my ceramic projects. Luckily, one managed to win an art show |D Hehe. I'm very excited to be working in a college level, where I'll be more challenged and have more materials/tools to work with. But there isn't really going to be any study material for the class, not like my academic classes at least. That's mainly what I was getting at.

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I'll be taking 3D Art studio for one of my classes. C: It is on Mondays and Wednesdays and it starts at 9 am and ends at.. *checks* Noon. I better eat a good breakfast on those days or the other students will be going "wth" at me for my grumbling stomach all morning.

And on Fridays, I'll only have one class. <3 High Beginner Spanish, and that begins at noon and lasts for an hour. SO MUCH FREE TIME. YEEEES.

I'm actually taking a total of 6 classes. Four of them are 3 credits each and the last two are only 1 credit each.

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I'm a Biology student at the University of Latvia, getting my Master diploma next summer, if things go as they should. To much surprise to myself, in hindsight I can say that I've enjoyed most of my study time, but I tend to stress way too much about things I don't entirely know how to do, which mostly goes for lab protocols and presentations. :T

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Starting my third year next Wednesday... kinda excited for it... kinda not...

First off, I have big props for anyone going into Chimistry or Biochemistry. Very difficult to go through, and at my college, most people change majors. I was actually a Biochem major, but I changed last year because... of multiple issues (primarily being that the advisors basically told me I better get a Masters to even get an entry level position anywhere in the state, the only non-*** profs I had in my chem classes were female, and both of them got treated like "nurses" by the male profs... That didn't sit well with me, and most of all, it really just wasn't fun anymore to me... Hard to be excited for a class that you hate when you think it's not going to help lead you to a job and the prof is a jerk...). But, a quick change to a Biology teaching degree program was perfect for me... So I'm kind of excited because this semester I'm finally out of the crap classes and into my meatier ones... Depending on whether I get some classes done next summer, I might end up going an extra semester or two... I got a lot of classes done in AP, and this is a 5 year course, but swine flu the spring before last and my sprained ankle this spring kinda threw a few wrenches into the mix... especially when I had to drop a class and I missed a big test... :/

But anyways, for you Freshman this year, here's some tips to help you out:

1. If you can get away with it, try to get 12-14 hours (labs and seminar usually are the ones that make this a non-divisible by 3 number) for your first term. Take it easy to begin with so you ease yourself into the experience. Especially if you are living on campus. Spend your free time exploring, getting to know the campus and its facilities better. Enjoy the outside weather. find new people to meet, look into joining a group or two (it might be best to avoid frats and sororities... but hey, whatever makes you happy). I cannot stress how much this matters. Many of my friends took 15-18 hours and tried to do everything at once and just burnt the candle at both ends... They couldn't give up their social lives, but they also had a full work load and just didn't find their comfort zone. It's better to take less classes than to fail multiple ones because you've overstretched yourself, or to be unhappy because you're too busy working to explore the campus.

2. Relying on AP credits isn't always the best thing. If you're an AP student, and you're using credit to skip 1 semester OR a full year of a particular class, especially in your degree field you may want to reconsider. If it gets you out of all of the credits you need in that field (like no more History), do it. However, if you skip a semester/year of Bio or English, and you're in those fields, those classes can rip you apart. I entered college skipping my first semester of Bio and my first year of Chem. This meant I entered Sophomore Chemistry my first semester, and both my class and my lab expected me to have been familiar with the facilities and the specific ways the college taught the subjects... (think the difference between how you learned multiplication on paper, and someone making you solve 1339 x 698 using your hands). You may end up bored out of your mind repeating those classes, but subtly, many of those classes are helping you ease into the work. Plus, AP classes don't count towards your GPA in most colleges (and when it does, it's usually either a C or rarely a B, and if you aced an AP test, you can handle a college class).

3. Utilize your resources well. Most of you already know about used textbooks, but also remember that you can download kindle on your laptops (which most of you have now, hopefully) and download the books even cheaper (if they're available). Also, you can get older editions of the same textbooks, and copy the beginning part of the book from a friend's that tells you what's different between editions (not recommended for books that tend to change a lot (like bio or history, but check anyways)). If you need to do problems out of a book, ask a friend to help, or see if the questions are posted online. Many colleges have a meal plan, which is great for students that want convenience. However, double check how much your meals generally cost compared to the amount of money per meal block you spend to buy them. At my college, meal blocks cost $8 and meals were usually $4-$6, with the only place that was worth it was the buffet place (BTW, if you have a buffet place on your campus, it's probably only good for getting breakfast. The food is usually terrible and cheap.). Since your school will likely issue you a credit card laminated ID to scan for large classes (depends), see if you can tie your bank account to the card (many schools do that) or have money placed on the card to use for food or emergency school supplies. Or use your credit card if you don't mind making people wait behind you, just don't go for convenient food blocks if they're going to gouge you.

4. SLEEP. I don't care if you can stay up until 3 am and force yourself to wake up at 8:45 to rush to class in 15 minutes. Nothing is more likely to make you say "Ehh, I can skip ONE class and be okay" than lack of sleep. Plus, going to class sleepy makes it harder to take notes or retain anything you read or heard, which makes going to class useless. Also, don't do this before labs, especially chem or bio labs. Don't risk hurting yourself or others by doing this. If it helps, get up early and exercise, or meet up with old/new friends daily for coffee and/or breakfast before heading off to class. And don't read TVTropes at night, especially about Slenderman or anything freaky before bed. Get at least a good 8 hours, 9 is better, but some of us have to be realistic. Breaking this rule occasionally (term papers and finals) is fine, but don't rely on your amazing 6 hours of sleep on a daily basis or you will be sorry halfway through the semester when you're sick or you hate college.

5. Read ahead for classes. Many classes will give you a schedule for what will be covered each lecture. This often slips, but as long as you read and sorta understand the material the prof is about to cover in class, you'll do better. Note taking is much easier when you know what you understand and what you need clarification on, also, you'll have fewer questions having read the book and had the prof back up what you read. Less note taking and more focusing on what the professor is saying and doing will likely make it easier for you to recall the info rather than remembering that all you did in class was whip your head from the projector screen to your paper as you copied everything.

6. Re-read after class and recopy your notes. I actually hate it when people bring laptops to class... partly because they're usually tempted to browse facebook when bored, and partly because their notes go directly into the comp, and you can easily copy notes on there. You should ALWAYS have a digital copy of your notes, especially if your handwriting is terrible enough where two weeks down the line you can't read certain words in your mad dash to write them (like me), but your first copy of notes shouldn't be digital, unless you really want to retype your notes on a word processor two times. If you feel you can't handwrite fast enough, then by all means take your laptop, but then be sure to write out your notes again (preferably on paper) to reteach it to yourself. When you copy your notes, DON'T SAY THE SAME THING. you usually have to paraphrase when you're writing notes in class, but expand a little bit. What does "it" mean in this phrase? Can you write this in a way you better understand it? Don't make an essay out of every lecture, but add a few extra details you might not have in your original notes. Also, you should even copy your math notes (as best you can), though you might just want to rewrite it in another notebook.

7. E-mail EVERYTHING to yourself. No flash drives or anything else in college. You lose those things and you're going to want to kill yourself. If your school gave you a school e-mail, use it. Got a paper that's half finished and that's half your semester grade? e-mail it. Working on NaNo again? E-mail it. This way, you can access everything on ANY internet-capable computer, so if your laptop craps out, or you lose your flash drive (which you should not have) you're covered.

8. In every class, make at least one "buddy". They don't have to be friends (but it would be better), they don't have to be anyone you already know, just find someone on the first day (hopefully in the same boat you're in) strike up a convo, and tell them that if they need any help in the class (missed class and needs notes, wants to meet to study for a class, etc.) you'll be there for them. Trade e-mails and/or cell numbers. Try not to get roped in with someone who takes advantage of you (someone skips class and wants your notes every week, unless they have a good reason), but class buddies help out, especially if you're sick and going to miss class and can't get a hold of your prof because they don't believe in e-mail (this is VERY common).

9. Make buddies with your profs. No, don't be a brown noser (profs REALLY hate that), but asking them questions often, thanking them for their work, and asking them in advance to either meet during their office hours for help/telling them you'll be gone for some reason (going out of town for some reason, going to need to skip class to babysit, etc.) really helps, to the point where some profs will fudge your grades if you had trouble during the semester/were trying really hard (your 89 turns into an A, your 69 into a C). Don't rely on this help, but being a name in the mind of a prof will mean they're more likely to help you than the person that first talks to them at the end of the semester upset because their grade is low.

10. Have fun. College is stressful. You're going to want to tear your hair out, especially if it ever comes to the point where a final determines whether you pass or fail. You realistically can't ALWAYS be happy (and you shouldn't in this case). However, college can be a wonderful experience. If you're bored out of your mind with your classes, especially your degree courses, it might be best to consider changing your degree. Always give yourself enough time to have fun, even if it's playing a few minutes of angry birds right before class starts. Take breaks from studying (breaks between subjects works best). Take walks with friends. Go out and exercise. Be a part of a group. Meet up with people every week. Go see the sights, have a movie night every week. Routines can get boring, but as long as you can fit in enough fun, you can keep yourself happy and productive.

I technically have more, but I don't want to overload you guys.

And if any of you guys have an orientation to go to, DO go to it. You'll likely be nervous, but you can easily have fun, especially if older students lead you around the campus and BS with you. Plus, everyone else in your group is in the same boat as you, and getting a head start on knowing your surroundings is better than nothing.

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I'll be starting college again this September. I was in an online college where my one of my profs literally told the class to read a few Wikipedia articles on our major and he'd get back to testing us later in the week. Yea, I'm not paying a ridiculous amount of money for them to tell me to teach myself from Wikipedia.

Now I'll be going to a local college, move out and get an apartment, the works. I've got 4 classes/12 credits on my list, and three of those are art classes, which probably means I won't have time for anything but art anymore But it's worth it, to me.

My only advice is to find something you enjoy doing that you'd want to keep at professionally. I wasn't happy at the old college because of the lackluster teaching, yes, but I discovered I was also quite bored by my chosen major even though I enjoy it as a hobby.

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I took 2 AP classes and I passed the Biology test with a 3. At my university, if you get that score, you automatically get 3 credits each for the first two basic Biology courses. (Well, when they receive the score and put it in, of course.)

Now, in my AP class we did TOOOONS of labs. We did all of the labs in our lab book, which is 12, and we did a few more fun ones that our teacher picked out. (She made us type all of our labs out, not just write in the book, which really helped.) We also did practice AP tests constantly, and she planned out days where all we did was review our work. I have also kept my notebook from that class, because I know I might need it.

Now, right now I'm taking my gen ed classes and a few fun classes, so no Biology yet. But, even though I did all of that work in my AP class and I'm getting the credits from the test, should I still take those 2 basic Biology courses? I feel like I'll not only be paying for classes that I already know, but I already have credit for and therefor not technically "need".

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I've done that before. I worked every off period I had in high school on all of my ceramic projects. Luckily, one managed to win an art show |D Hehe. I'm very excited to be working in a college level, where I'll be more challenged and have more materials/tools to work with. But there isn't really going to be any study material for the class, not like my academic classes at least. That's mainly what I was getting at.

I took a college ceramics class. You will be spending a good portion of time outside of class working in the studio.

We had to do I think it was 20 pieces (of various types - such as thrown, coil, slab, ect.) before the end of the semester. You cannot do 20 pieces just by going to class. You have to go into the studio and work on your own time or else you will not succeed.

Not to mention you mix your own clay and glazes (or at least my studio did).

And work on deadlines. We had a big brick kiln so you had to be ready for bisque and glaze loads otherwise you had to wait a while.

College is a huge difference from high school. Study habits and work habits that got you by in high school probably won't work for classes you will take now.

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College is a huge difference from high school. Study habits and work habits that got you by in high school probably won't work for classes you will take now.

Oh God this.

Working as a lecturer in a UK college (so High School for our American friends) was a shock, especially having just finished my own degree, and it is partially why I didn't get on well. I went into that environment expecting the pupils to take some responsibility for their own learning, and not one of them managed to do so.

In school, you are spoon-fed your education. There's always a teacher chasing you to do homework, go to class, do your worksheets, finish the questions before the end of the lesson, etc. They guide you through - and it's not to nag you. It's so that when you hit university (or college for Americans) you've got that instilled in you.

It may be different for different courses, but in a lot of courses here there are no registers. There are no nagging e-mails from your tutor to hand in your coursework. There is no requirement to finish your worksheet before the end of the seminar. If you want to stay in bed with a hangover rather than go to lectures, that's your choice. If you miss the deadline for hand-in because you didn't write it down, or couldn't be bothered to make the trek out to uni on your day off, that's your fault. And the university will not accept blame for that.

When you hit further education, the onus is on you to be self-motivated, to meet the deadlines set by tutors. If you fail the end-of-year because you skipped all but one class, than that is no-one's fault but your own. You're adults now, so you start acting like one.

That's the huge difference. When you hit college/university, it is up to you to take charge of your own learning. If that means you need to spend two nights a week in the lab/studio/library/at your desk rather than drinking the night away, then that's what it takes. No course I know of at university-level can be completed in the timetabled hours they give you - they timetable in enough lectures and enough seminars/workshops/labs so that they can deliver the information and give you guidance, but don't think that is all you need to pass. Heck, your timetabled hours isn't even the minimum requirement - you should be spending *at least* half again that time doing work under your own steam.

And please trust me, if you go running to your tutor complaining you failed the course because you didn't have enough time to study, then that's what they'll tell you. You're not there to be mollycoddled any more.